Lorraine Kelly sounded close to collapse on Monday morning as she struggled through an interview while coughing and choking.
The 61-year-old Scot had a frog in her throat while interviewing EastEnders star Heather Peace, 46 – who recently joined the BBC soap after previously holding down roles on London’s Burning and Waterloo Road.
Heather was joining Lorraine on her self titled show at the beginning of the week – speaking to the host live from Albert Square ahead of a day of busy filming.
But her interview went awry as Lorraine started coughing, spluttering and choking while trying to get her line of questions out.
Struggling to get words out, Lorraine told Heather: “It won’t be… It won’t be quite as bad. Sorry, I’ve got a cough.”
She then panicked and added: “It’s not Covid! It’s not Covid. I did a test this morning. It’s not, honestly.”
She then continued to cough and struggled to pursue her questions.
Reviewing her guests career, Lorraine went on: “I remember you in London’s Burning, which was fantastic. Lip Service where you were every girls’ crush.”
Lorraine continued to sound choked up as she complimented Heather’s youthful complexion.
Viewers watching felt for the Scottish star – and the anxiety a cough can cause during the ongoing pandemic.
One fan wrote on Twitter : “Lorraine coughing on her show having a panic attack - ‘It’s not Covid! It’s not Covid!’ It seems to be a line we all say now when we clear our throats!”
Lorraine’s past couple of shows have been hit with problems out of the control of the star.
On Friday, the presenter was left blushing when a button from her floral dress unexpectedly burst off while she was in the middle of interviewing The Wanted.
Lorraine gasped: "I'm so sorry, my top button popped with excitement!"
And the wardrobe malfunction moment prompted The Wanted’s Jay McGuinness to quip: “That was directly in my line of vision too.”
Lorraine added: "I'm so sorry about that. You boys don't need that in the morning!”
Getting flustered, Lorraine then said to the group of five: "I'm so sorry. Thank you both - all of you... what am I saying?!"
The chaos continued as she cut to fashion expert Mark for a segment, she said: "I'm going to go and get this pinned up to make sure nothing else happens!"
"I'm chuckling over at Westfield [shopping centre]," he laughed. "Is your button OK? Do you need to get it sorted?" – with Lorraine, while clutching her top, saying: “Yes, it's fine.”
